Picture of a car moves along the Extraterrestrial Highway near Rachel, Nevada
The CIA is acknowledging in the clearest terms yet the existence of Area 51, the top-secret Cold War test site that has been the subject of conspiracy theories for decades.
Recently declassified documents, however, have no mention of flying saucers, aliens or staged moon landings.
A CIA history released on Thursday not only mentions Area 51 and describes some of the activities there, but it places the site on a map.
George Washington University's National Security Archive senior fellow Jeffrey Richelson says it's not the first time the US government has acknowledged the secretive installation.
But those convinced "the truth is out there" are taking the latest information as a sign of loosening secrecy about the government's activities in the Nevada desert.